Yaar 12, 6746 Volume III Issue 13 May 12, 1997
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A Weekly Online Publication of the ZENDA Assyrian Newsagency
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T H I S W E E K I N Z E N D A
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The Lighthouse...................... Knanaye Christians
Good Morning Bet-Nahrain............ Iraqis Flee Troubled
Homeland
Surfs Up............................ "practice an open-door
policy"
Surfers Corner...................... AAS Dictionary Project
August 7 Martyrs Day in Canada
Nabu Books Assyrian Dictionaries
Joseph Davida's Gift for ZENDA
News Digest......................... Assyrian Man Arrested
in Connecticut
AUA to Celebrate Mtakasta's 40th
Maronite Commander Gets Life Sentence
Presidential Elections in Iran
Second Earthquake Hits Iran
Saddam Goes Online
Calendar of Events.................. San Jose, Los Angeles
& Turlock
Entracte............................ Father's Day in
LA
Intelligentsia...................... Classes and Seminars
Assyrian Surfing Posts.............. Assyrian Travel
Words
Pump up the Volume.................. Free & Freedom
Back to the Future.................. The 350 Kings Puzzle
Repercussions of British War on Iran
Literatus........................... The Horseshoe Nail
This Week in History................ First Assyrian Association
in Tehran
Bravo............................... Peter Jasim
The Directory....................... News Sources
Bshena.............................. HMTT, UCI, Ontario,
Loma Linda
Salute.............................. Daniel, Firas, Rita,
Lena, Albert,
Chris & Vivian
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THE L I G H
T H O U S E
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ASSYRIAN (SYRIAN)-JACOBITE KNANAYA CHRISTIANS
Modern Knananites are the descendants of Assyrian-Jacobite
Christians who
migrated to the Malabar Coast of Kerala, India in the
Fourth Century, led
by Thomas of Kana (Knai Thomas). Many of today’s
Knanaya Christians
believe that they are descendants of the Jewish groups
that, after the
final Roman conquest in the First Century A.D.,fled to
the Malabar coast in
India. According to a brief historical note found
in the official North
American Knanaya Diocese's website Knai Thoma (Mar Thoma)
was a wealthy
merchant from Kana who founded a colony of 400 Syrian
Christians with
instructions from the Patriarch of Antioch, Mar Yusthedius,
in India.
Among the noted pilgrims was Joseph of Urhai or Edessa
who sailed in 3
ships arrived in India in 345 AD. The ships carried
the flags of Kind
David, Rome with the Cross, and King Abgar of Edessa.
The leading ship was
called “Babylonia.”
Knananites who lived on the south side of Kodungalloor
river are known as
Southists (Thekkumbhagor) and the St Thomas Christians
who lived on the
north side are called Northists (Vadakkumbhagor). In
India Knananites do
not intermarry with the St. Thomas Christians.
It is also noted that
“Knananites believe that their customs and rituals are
a continuation of
ancient Jewish practices such as the position of the
bride standing on the
right of the bridegroom during the wedding ceremony,
burial of the dead to
face East to Jerusalem, the priest's black velvet cap
which is similar to
the Jew's head gear, the "kiss of peace" ceremony during
Eucharist, the
blessings given by parents and grandparents their children
and
grandchildren, reminiscent of the Old Testament blessings.
During Easter
celebrations Knananites partake with unleavened bread
and drink wine made
of coconut milk and plums reminiscent of the Jewish malzot
and red wine
during Passover night. The Knanaya marriage ceremony
includes the bridal
canopy that may be equivalent to the Jewish nuppah; the
ceremonial bathing
on the eve of the wedding that may be parallel to the
Jewish mikrah or
ritual bath: and singing of Old Testament songs on the
eve and on the day
of the
wedding. All these customs and rituals are exclusively
practiced by the
Knananites and so distinguish them from the native Christians."*
In 1599, only half a century after the first major division
in the Assyrian
Church of the East in Bet-Nahrain, the Portuguese Archbishop
Menesis of Goa
assembled a synod in which he forcibly changed the Syrian
teachings that
existed since the arrival of the Knananites to Latin.
The Portuguese then
drowned the Knananite Patriarch Ahathallah. In
1653 under the leadership
of Reverend Itty Thomas, a Knanaya priest, 25,000 Syrian
Christians pledged
the Bent Cross Oath and refused to accept the Latin teachings.
Thereafter,
the Knananites, as with their Assyrian brethren in Bet-Nahrain
of a century
before who were divided into the Assyrian Church of the
East followers and
the Chaldean Catholics , were divided into the traditional
and Catholic
Knanaye Christian sects.
On April 15, 1951, Mor Clemis Abraham was ordained as
the third bishop of
the Knanaya Diocese by H. H. Ignatius Ephraim I, Patriarch
of Antioch and
All the East. He was then elected as the Malankara Metropolitan
in 1957.
For his valuable services to the Syrian Church, Mar Clemis
was honored by
Patriarch Ignatius Zakka Iwas I as "Kooberneeti Hakeemo"
or the Wise Man.
Mar Clemis visited Pope John Paul II in 1980 and currently
resides at Mar
Ephraim Seminary at Chingavanam, India.
Today, there are 63 Knananites parishes served by 68 Knanaya
priests around
the world, of which 9 are managed under the North American
Knanaya Diocese
in USA and Canada. As of 1996 there were 350 Jacobite
Knanaya families
living in North America. There are approximately
2500 Knanaya Catholic
families in North America. Marriages between the Knanaya
Catholics and
Knanaya Jacobites are allowed. All the traditions
and rituals practiced by
the Knanaya Jacobites are also practiced by the Knanaya
Catholics.
ZENDA
*For more information see http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~grjosep/knanaya.html
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G O O D
M O R N I N G B
E T - N A H R A I N
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IRAQIS FLEE TROUBLED HOMELAND
The death of 17 illegal Iraqi immigrants in a shipwreck
off the Turkish
coast last week has once again cast the spotlight on
the human tide fleeing
oppression and economic hardship in Iraq. Since
punitive economic
sanctions were imposed on Iraq following its August 1990
invasion of
Kuwait, a vast wave of Iraqi immigrants have risked their
lives to escape
to a better life in Europe. The Ahmad family was
just a small part of the
exodus, fleeing Iraq three years ago and setting themselves
up in Istanbul
before deciding to pay a smuggler 3,000 dollars per head
to land them on
the Greek island of Samos. But on Sunday morning
at least 17 of the
family, including four women and five children, drowned
when the two small
Turkish boats carrying
them overturned off the Dilek peninsula after setting
out from the Turkish
port of Kusadasi.
The Iraqi government gives no figures for the number
of immigrants leaving
the country, but month after month groups of illegal
Iraqi immigrants are
uncovered. In Romania last March truckloads of Iraqis
were found entering
the country from Bulgaria and Turkey, and a similar cargo
was uncovered
near Grenoble in France in November heading for The Netherlands.
The
following month the Dutch authorities uncovered a clandestine
network that
had managed to provide between 4,000 and 5,000 Iraqis
with forged
passports, while 15 Iraqi immigrants in jail in Cyprus
swallowed detergent
in a mass suicide attempt because they were terrified
of being sent home.
Iraq is still smarting from the highly-embarrassing defection
of its
flag-bearer, a weight lifter, at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic
Games. A survey
by the US periodical Foreign Affairs estimated that three
million Iraqis,
out of a total of 22 million, were now living abroad.
Many are educated
middle-class professionals, and many are Christians.
Although Iraq is a
secular state, church officials in Baghdad estimate only
500,000 Christians
remain in Iraq, compared to around three million in the
1980s.
"It is a big problem, all the young boys want to leave
to go abroad," said
a European businessman in Baghdad. Each Iraqi wanting
to leave the country
first has to pay 400,000 dinars (333 dollars) to the
government. According
to another Western businessman, most of them then head
for Amman and do the
round of consulates there in a desperate bid to find
a third country that
will take them. However, most of them return demoralized
to Iraq. "They
have great difficulty obtaining visas, even in usually
welcoming countries
such as Canada and New Zealand," he added.
Patrick Rahir
Agence France-Presse
AFP May 1997
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S U R F S
U P !
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"Schlomo, I want to thank you for sending me ZENDA.
I would like to read
more about ZOWAA and every important distion with the
Kurdisch partys. I
would like to read about the conection ZOWAA have with
the Turkisch
govement. I'm a Assyrian women fron Tur-Abdin and want
wish you good lucky
with your work.
Attiya
Sweden
"Some members of the Assyrian American Association of
San Jose have asked
that our Association respond to one particular comment
appearing in a
letter in Zenda (April 21, 1997), under the signature
of Lena Mushell.
Unfortunately, the Association thinks it is best to let
the matter pass
unanswered. The letter in question by Ms Mushell provides
a summary of a
meeting of "a small group of people" (those are her words),
held at the
"Beta" on the evening of Sunday, April 13, to celebrate
the birthday of
Zowaa. Since the Association will not respond, we feel
obliged to at least
offer a clarification. Ms Mushell states in part "The
meeting started half
an hour late while everyone was waiting for Jackie Bejan,
VP of AAA and
Sargon Yaldaei, president of AAA, of which neither showed
up. Their lack of
interest and respect for the celebration was disappointing
to everyone
present in the meeting."
We do not question Ms Mushell's good intentions, but frankly
we are
disappointed at her own "lack of interest and respect"
for the facts. By
her own account (see 4th paragraph of the letter), Ms
Mushell represents
the Santa Clara County Chapter of the Assyrian Aid Society,
and presumably
she speaks for this group, which is the tax-exempt arm
of Zowaa. This group
and any other will better be served when those who represent
it in public
statements avoid invective and inaccuracies. It is a
well-known fact that
the AAA of San Jose is a social and cultural society,
and it is governed by
a policy of non-partisanship, and non-sectarianism. This
policy was not
invented for the sake of Zowaa or anyone else. Many of
our members are
supporters of one political group or another (including
Zowaa in some
cases). As individuals they are free to do so long as
they do not isolate
our Society and the Association in a political corner.
Political groups,
and sectarian groups too, fill an important function
in the overall shaping
of our identity. So do societies such as our own.
Although our Association
is a private, and by "membership only" Society,
we have always sought to
practice an "open door" policy, and have always believed
that the
expression of thoughts and exchange of ideas between
our people should be
made under our own roof. This translates to making our
physical facility,
free of charge available to a variety of Assyrian groups,
even those with a
very small audience. There has never been a requirement
in our by-laws, or
in prior practice, which mandates the attendance of our
officers at every
event or celebration.
The record will show that this event was hardly the first
one where some of
our officers were absent, others present. Lena Mushell
was understandably
disappointed at the low turnout for this Zowaa meeting.
I would suggest the
she perhaps needs to look at deeper causes for this.
Meanwhile, we find it
odd that Ms Mushell should vent her frustration by pointing
the finger at
the absence of one or two people. Presumably she plans
to have other events
in Santa Clara County for the benefit of the Assyrian
Aid Society. I have
no doubt that everyone living in this Country is quite
aware of the
importance of excellent public relations requirement
for promotion of any
idea or cause, especially when it comes to charitable
organizations. If the
Santa Clara County chapter of AAS is looking for ways
to revitalize itself
in our community, I would suggest that perhaps the leadership
of AAS should
examine their public relations policy, and the spokes
people who officially
are representing it. To this date the AAA of San Jose
has not received any
statement of appreciation for the use of the facility
from Zowaa, but
regardless to that and Ms Mushell's negativity will continue
to practice
it's "open door" policy until such date that the members
decide differently.
Jacklin Bejan
San Jose, California
[Mrs. Bejan is the Vice-President of the Assyrian American
Association of
San Jose, California.]
**************
"I would like to know if anyone suggested to video-tape
Dr. Ashur
Moradkhan's lectures in order to educate others over
the Assyrian TV
programs around the country. Also the video-tape
could be sold to the
people who want to used in their homes."
Sam Kosa
San Diego, California
[Dr. Moradkhan's language classes are recorded in Southern
California. For
more information write to:
AAA of Southern California
5901 Cahuenga Blvd
North Hollywood, CA 91601 ]
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S U R F E R S
C O R N E R
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ZENDA readers are invited to respond to the following
request(s) by either
directly writing to the author or sending a reply to
ZENDA.
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May 4, 1997
Dear ZENDA Readers:
It is part of the mission of the Assyrian Academic Society
to foster
cultural awareness and to nurture a sense of ethnic identity
among the
members of the Assyrian community. Language is a very
important part of
culture and a potent symbol of ethnic identity. In consequence,
one of the
main goals of the Assyrian Academic Society is the preservation
and
standardization of the Assyrian language. Pursuant to
this goal the society
is sponsoring and providing administrative support and
supervision for a
project to create comprehensive dictionaries of the eastern
and western
dialects of both the modern and classical Assyrian languages.
These
dictionaries will help establish a standard for the modern
literary
language and will also help preserve the richness of
the vocabulary and
idioms of the contemporary dialects.
The data for these dictionaries will be entered in a computerized
Assyrian Language Database System (ALDS). The use
of an electronic
database will allow continuous updating so that results
of continuing
field research on the contemporary dialects and newly
created terminology
can be incorporated. This database will permit the creation
of various
bilingual dictionaries. Priority will be given to compiling
English-Assyrian and Assyrian-English dictionaries, but
the creation of
other bilingual dictionaries based on the ALDS is also
envisioned.
Work has already begun on the ALDS, and it is hoped that
within eighteen
months a basic English-Assyrian dictionary for the eastern
dialect of
Modern Standard Assyrian will be published. In addition
a proposal to
obtain major funding from various foundations is nearing
completion and
will be sent out in the next two months. In the meantime,
the Assyrian
Academic Society is soliciting tax-deductible donations
to support the
ongoing work on the ALDS and the basic English-Assyrian
dictionary. Funds
are necessary to provide a full-time salary for the principal
lexicographer. Consequently, the Assyrian Academic
Society would like to
ask for your continuing support for this important project.
Sincerely,
Tony Khoshaba
Project Coordinator
Assyrian Academic Society Dictionary Project (AAS-DP)
Dr. Mark Mkrdichian
President of the Assyrian Academic Society
**************
The Shamiram Assyrian Association Inc. of Canada will
be holding a ceremony
to honour the Assyrians Martyrs Day on the 7th of August,
1997, in the city
of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
The SAAC will hold a meeting for all interested individuals
or groups who
wish to participate in this important community event.
Please write to or
call the Executive Committee:
Shamasha Moshi Sarkis, President..........
(905) 318-6174
Mr. Awni Odisho, Vice-President...........
(905) 387-1369
Shamiram Assyrian Association Inc.
P.O.Box 37003, Barton Postal Outlet
Hamilton, ON L8L-8E9
CANADA
Ashur Simon Malek
Ontario, Canada
**************
Assyrian Dictionaries Currently Available at NABU BOOKS:
1. Ogin Manna's SYRIAC-ARABIC DICTIONARY
$40.00
2. Rev. S. David's ENGLISH-ASSYRIAN "CHALDEAN"
DICTIONARY $30.00
3. Oraham's ASSYRIAN-ENGLISH DICTIONARY
$30.00
Send check or money-order to:
NABU BOOKS
PO BOX 59422
CHICAGO, IL 60659
(For postage & Handling add $3.00 for first and 50
cents for each additional
book. International orders: $5.00 and $1.00
for additional book).
-------------------------------
[ZENDA has received a collection of books, journal articles,
and past
issues of Assyrian magazines from Mr. Joseph Davida of
San Diego,
California. The subjects vary from the history
of accounting in ancient
Bet-Nahrain and Hammurabi's Code of Law to the complete
report of the
Committee of the Council on the Settlement of the Assyrian
in Iraq in 1935.
A 455-page book entitled "The Thrones & Palaces
of Babylon & Nineveh" was
among Mr. Davida's generous gifts. The staff of
ZENDA wishes to thank Mr.
Davida for this most valuable contribution and promise
our readers that the
information received will be publicly shared in the future
issues of our
newsletter.]
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N E W S
D I G E S T
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ASSYRIAN MAN ARRESTED ON A FELONY
WEAPONS CHARGE IN CONNECTICUT
(Bristol Press: Bristol) David Khezrabad Sargisian, 40,
a resident of
Plainville, Connecticut, was arrested on a warrant charging
him with
possession of sawed-off Mossberg shotgun, a felony punishable
by up to five
years in jail. The gun was seized by police during
a raid on April 4 after
the initial arrest on April 3 when Sargisian was charged
with stalking his
girlfriend and a male companion with a .38-caliber handgun.
Sargisian was
then released on a non-surety bond and will be arraigned
April 21 in
Bristol Superior Court. Sargisian's girlfriend,
Anita Grieco, told police
that he had bomb-building materials in the garage where
he does automotive
repairs. Police also found 126 rounds of ammunition
and liquid Mercury
that can be used in making detonators. Sargisian
denies all charges and
claims that his girlfriend set him up. Sargisian,
also known as Davood
Sargusuab-Khezrabad, and his brother, Baba, are Assyrians
from Iran. Anita
Grieco has told police that her ex-boyfriend was involved
in guerrilla
warfare as a youth in Iran. David and Anita have
an 18-month-old son.
AUA RALLY TO HONOR
40TH ANNIVERSARY OF MTAKASTA'S FOUNDING
(ZNDA: San Jose) The Assyrian Universal Alliance (AUA)
is hosting an
open political rally honoring the 40th anniversary of
Assyrian Democratic
Organization (ADO) or Mtakasta. ADO representative from
the U.S. and Canada
will speak on Mtakasta's 40 years of political and national
struggle,
objectives, current activities, and the future of the
Assyrian nation from
Mtakasta's point of view. The rally will be held in the
Assyrian-American
Civic Club of Turlock, California on Wednesday, May 21,
1997 at 7:00pm.
LEBANON'S CHRISTIAN
COMMANDER SENTENCED DESPITE POPE'S VISIT
(ZNRU: Beirut) The High Judicial Council, Lebanon's highest
court on Friday
sentenced the Maronite Christian warlord Samir Geagea
to life imprisonment
for the attempted murder of a minister in 1991, ignoring
pleas to wait
until after Pope John Paul's historic visit to the country.
Geagea led the
Lebanese Forces (LF) militia in the 1975-90 civil war.
First he was
sentenced to death for the car bomb attack on then defence
minister Michel
al-Murr. But the sentence was immediately commuted to
life imprisonment as
it had already done in two other cases in which it earlier
found Geagea
guilty of killing a Christian politician and a former
Christian militia
official. Geagea is currently serving the two life sentences
in an
underground defence ministry cell. The court ruled that
Geagea ordered the
1991 assassination bid against Murr, a Greek Orthodox
politician who is now
interior minister and deputy prime minister in the government
of
billionaire Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. Gaagea was
previously found
guilty of the 1991 murders of Christian politician Dany
Chamoun and his
family and of Dr Antoine Zayek, a founder of the Lebanese
Forces. Geagea is
also awaiting trial in a fifth murder case, the 1987
murder of Sunni Moslem
prime minister Rashid Karami who was killed when a remote-controlled
bomb
blew up a helicopter in which he was travelling. Geagea
is the only
sectarian militia leader from the 1975-90 civil war to
have faced trial and
some Christians see the authoritiess' actions against
him as indicative of
a government bias against their minority community. Cardinal
Nasrallah
Sfeir, patriarch of the Maronite church, has taken up
Geagea's case,
publicly stating that the authorities should either try
all former civil
war leaders for their crimes or none at all. (Geagea)
has been held for
more than 1,100 days in a
narrow underground cell where he is deprived of sunlight,
fresh air,
correspondence, company and access to the media.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN IRAN
(ZNRU: Tehran) Iran will announce the names of approved
presidential
candidates on Thursday, allowing 12 days to campaign
for May 23 polls to
replace President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. The candidates
were being
chosen by the Guardian Council out of 238 who had signed
up to run in the
elections. Candidates are screened for their allegiance
to Iran's religious
leadership and the Islamic system of government established
after the 1979
revolution. The polls appear to be shaping up as a two-horse
race
between parliamentary Speaker Ali Akbar Nateq-Nouri and
Mohammad Khatami, a
former minister of culture and Islamic guidance.
Rafsanjani is barred by
the constitution from running for a third consecutive
four-year term. His
term ends on August 3.
MAJOR EARTHQUAKE HITS NORTHEASTERN IRAN
(ZNUP: London) The second devastating earthquake this
year has rocked
northeastern Iran. At ZENDA press time it has killed
as many as 2,400
people, destroyed 135 villages and injuring 6,000 others.
It registered 7.1
on the Richter scale. The epicenter was located was 230
miles (370 km)
southeast Mashhad. France has announced it is sending
40 tons of relief
supplies to the region and Iran is appealing for help
from other countries.
As many as 50,000 people have been displaced because
of damage. In
February, a quake registering 6.1 on the Richter scale
killed thousands in
northwester Ardebil region of Iran.
IRAQI REFUGEES
BROUGHT TO U.S., IMPRISONED IN CALIFORNIA
(ZNUP: Los Angeles) 25 Iraqi refugees who say that they
helped U.S.
government try to overthrow Hussein were jailed in Lancaster,
California.
They are facing deportation as suspected spies or terrorists
and "potential
national security risks." The Los Angeles Times
says all 25 belonged to or
were affiliated with CIA-backed resistance groups in
Iraq. The refugees
claim they were lured to the United States with the promise
of asylum after
they assisted in a failed bid to oust Hussein last summer.
The CIA's
$100-million covert operation collapsed in disaster August
31, according to
court records and an attorney for seven of the detainees.
The Times says
eight Iraqis, all educated professionals including a
commercial pilot,
engineers, a journalist and a physician, have been held
at the moth-balled
Mira Loma County Jail in Lancaster since March. Their
wives and children
recently were granted political asylum.
LAST WEEK'S KEY VOTES IN THE U.S. CONGRESS
(ZNMN: Washington) The Senate passed an $8.4 billion
spending bill (HR
672) to fund disaster relief for flooded regions as well
as military
operations in Bosnia and Iraq. The Senate also
amended S 672 to ease the
impact of last year's welfare reform law on some 500,000
elderly legal
immigrants who receive the entitlement Supplemental Security
Income. Under
the new law, they are to lose SSI eligibility in August
1997. With this
vote, the Senate extended the cutoff to October 1.
This law will affect
many Assyrian elderlies in the United States over the
age of 65.
SADDAM GOES ONLINE
(ZNDA: San Jose) On the occasion of Saddam Hussein's
60th birthday,Nahj
Computer Services has created a website to receive congratulatory
messages
from the Iraqi president's fans around the world.
It must be noted that
there are currently no Internet facilities in Iraq and
Saddam's mailbox
resides in Jordan. All messages are printed and
hand-carried to Baghdad.
The website is located at http://chat.com.jo/iraq/page2.htm
.
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C A
L E N D A R
OF E V E N
T S
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May 16
Ninous Nirary & Yosip Bet Yosip
An Evening of Assyrian Poetry and Art
Art Exhibits include the works of:
Edmond Babayova
Walter Ebrahimzadeh
Alexis Gewargis
Jenik
Vladimir
AAA of Southern California
5901 Cahuenga Blvd
North Hollywood, California
7:00 pm
$ 5.00
(818) 506-7577
May 17
Ordination of Rev. Albert Aslan
Assyrian Evangelical Church of San Jose
Los Gatos Christian Church
Los Gatos, California
4:00 pm
May 21
AUA Honors Mtakasta on its 40th Anniversary
A Political Rally
Assyrian American Civic Club
Speakers: ADO representatives from the U.S. & Canada
Turlock, California
7:00 pm
May 23-26
Assyrian State Convention of California
Turlock, California
May 25
A C N C '97
The Third Assyrian Community Networking Conference
The Assyrian State Convention of California
Turlock, California
Organized by The Assyrian Community Networking Society
Jul 20
A Concert by the Assyrian Violinist, David Yonan
Mathaeikirchstrasse 1
Musikinstrumenten Museum, Curt-Sachs Saal
Berlin
11:00 am
Aug 26-Sept 2
Assyrian American National Convention
Hyatt Regency Dearborn
Fairlane Town Center
Detroit, Michigan
All Single,double,triple,quad rooms: $95 per day
Reservations: (313) 982-6880
Reservations must be made by August 7.
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E N T R A C T E
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May 17
Assyrian Brunch (Kada, Hareesa & Jajeek)
Assyrian American Association of San Jose
Ladies Auxiliary Committee
BETA: 20000 Almaden Road, San Jose
9:00 am
$ 7.00
Reserve your tickets: (408) 927-8100
June 13
Father's Day Dinner Dance
AAA of Southern California
5901 Cahuenga Blvd
North Hollywood, California
Entertainer: Isam
$ 5.00 ; Fathers Free
8:00 pm
June 28
Welcome Home Party
Entertainer: Ashur Sargis
AAA of Southern California
5901 Cahuenga Blvd
North Hollywood, California
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I N T E L L I G E N T S I A
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CHICAGO
Assyrian Athletic Club Soccer Development Program
Ages 7-14
7:45-9:45 pm
Mondays
Warren Park Gymnasium
Western Avenue & Devon Street
HARVARD UNIVERSITY 1997-98
Syriac Classes Taught by Dr. J.F. Coakley
Elementary Syriac
Instructor: J. F. Coakley
Basic Syriac grammar and syntax
with selected readings from the Syriac Bible and
other early texts.
Readings in Syriac I
Historical and theological texts, and early poetry
Readings in Syriac II
Special attention to exegetical texts and to reading manuscripts.
MODESTO
Assyrian Educational & Cultural Club at
Modesto Junior College
1:00 pm
Fridays
Founders Hall 108
Modesto, U.S.A.
NORTH HOLLYWOOD Assyrian Boy Scouts
Assyrian American Association of Southern California
Assyrian Club
5901 Cahuenga Blvd
North Hollywood, California
9:30am to 12:30pm
Sundays
Contact Sargon Gewargis @ fishtale@juno.com
(818) 891-3705 after 7:30 pm
Assyrian Student Union
California State University, Northridge
Assyrian American Association of Southern California
Assyrian Club
5901 Cahuenga Blvd
North Hollywood, California
6:00pm
Contact Sargon Gewargis @ fishtale@juno.com
(818) 891-3705 after 7:30 pm
SAN JOSE
Nisibin School
Assyrian Language Classes
Ages 5-14
10:00-1:00 pm
Saturdays
AAA of San Jose BETA
20000 Almaden Road
Citizenship Classes
Mondays & Tuesdays
7:00 pm
AAA of San Jose BETA
20000 Almaden Road
Maestro Nebu Issabey's Nineveh Choir Practice
AAA of San Jose BETA
8:00 pm
Thursdays
TORONTO
Nisibis School
10:30-1:30
Saturdays
The Church of the East
Toronto, Canada
===========================================================================
A S S
Y R I A N S U
R F I N G P O
S T S
===========================================================================
A Brief List of Assyrian Travel Words
http://www.gorin.com/phrase/assyrian.html
===========================================================================
P U M P UP THE V O L U
M E
===========================================================================
English Modern Assyrian
Free (liberated) khee/ra
[M]
Freedom khee/roo/ta
[F]
___________________________________________________________________________
F = Feminine M = Masculine
P = Plural
===========================================================================
B A C K TO THE
F U T U R E
===========================================================================
B.C. (2350) Sargon of Akkad maintains that 350 kings
before him had ruled
over the land of Ashur, a statement which has since greatly
confused
Assyriologists.
<< The Secret of the Hittites, Ceram >>
A.D. (1856) When the Persians occupy Herat, Afghanistan,
Great Britain
declares war on Persia. Persians evacuate Herat
and the Moslem landlords
begin to molest Assyrians as English sympathizers.
<< The Nestorians & Their Muslim Neighbors,
Joseph>>
===========================================================================
L I T E
R A T U
S
===========================================================================
THE HORSESHOE NAIL
(A Babylonian Poem)
For want of a nail the horseshoe was lost,
For want of a horseshoe the horse was lost,
For want of a horse the man was lost,
For want of a man the battle was lost.
<< Your Thwarts in Pieces, Your Mooring Rope Cut,
Reiner >>
===========================================================================
T H I S W E E K
I N H I S T O R
Y
===========================================================================
May 14, 1911: The first Assyrian organization in
Tehran is established
under the name "Ninous Association" to bring Assyrian
families closer and
begin Assyrian language instruction for the youth.
===========================================================================
B R A
V O
===========================================================================
PETER JASIM
A pioneer in the early days of the Assyrian cyberlife,
known for his
controversial political views, and a Don Juan lover as
versatile as the
type of ethnic dances he can teach, Peter Jasim is simply
put: hard to
miss. Now, with a book entitled "MOMENTS; POETRY
& FICTION BY AN ASSYRIAN"
Peter invites us to learn more about his reflections
on his nation, love,
and religion. The book is a collection of 16 poems,
3 short stories, and 2
political essays written in the last decade. Priced at
$10.00 Peter's book
can be purchased from Nabu Books (see ZENDA I).
===========================================================================
the D I R E C T O R
Y
===========================================================================
ZNAD (Assyrian Democratic Organization)
ZNAM (Archeology Magazine)
ZNAP (Associated Press International)
ZNBN (Bet-Nahrain Inc/ KBSV-TV "AssyriaVision")
ZNDA (Zenda: zenda@ix.netcom.com)
ZNMN (San Jose Mercury News)
ZNNQ (Nabu Quarterly)
ZNNV (Nineveh Magazine)
ZNRU (Reuters)
ZNSH (Shotapouta Newsletter)
ZNSJ (San Jose Mercury News)
ZNTM (Time Magazine)
ZNUP (United Press International)
ZNUS (US News & World Report)
===========================================================================
W E L C O M
E T O Z E
N D A
===========================================================================
Zenda welcomes our new on-line subscribers from:
CORPORATE ACCOUNTS
HMT Technology
UNIVERSITY ACCOUNTS
University of Illinois, Chicago
PERSONAL ACCOUNTS
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Loma Linda, California
===========================================================================
S A L
U T E
===========================================================================
Zenda wishes to thank the following individuals &
organizations whose
contributions appear in this issue:
Daniel Wolk
Chicago, Illinois
Firas Jatou
Chicago, Illinois
Rita Pirayou
San Jose, California
Chris Aktas
Sunnyvale, California
Lena Mushell
San Jose, California
and the following individual(s) for introducing ZENDA
to our new readers:
Firas Jatou
Chicago, Illinois
Vivian Hermiz
Berkeley, California
Albert Gabrial Turlock, California
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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